Eli Sussman, a James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner of Gertrude’s in Brooklyn, uses humorous social media posts and memes to spotlight the realities of hospitality. As a chef, operator, and content creator, he’s built a career that blends hospitality with digital influence.
Watch now to learn about the drive to keep opening restaurants, an unexpected collaboration, and the rise to meme royalty.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST – All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Chapters:
[02:41] – Journey and Failures
[10:03] – Mentorship and Community
[13:43] – The Power of Memes
[23:35] – Collaboration with Baldor Specialty Foods
[29:46] – Lessons from Fast Casual Dining
SPONSORS:
RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.
• Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Episode Links:
Gertrude’s: https://www.gertrudes.nyc/
Alo’s Ann Arbor: https://www.alosannarbor.com/
Eli Sussman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesussmans/?hl=en
Eli Sussman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisussman/
Eli Sussman Merch Shop: https://the-sussmans.myshopify.com/
Talkin In The Walkin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkininthewalkin/
Talkin In The Walkin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt8C5AjQGqg
Baldor Specialty Foods: https://www.baldorfood.com/
Key Takeaways:
Humor Can Build a Digital Brand: Unfiltered humor from Eli Sussman helped turn industry critiques into opportunities, such as his collab with Baldor Speciality Foods, where jokes about late deliveries led to a merch partnership.
Disrupting the Industry with Memes: Calling out restaurant industry issues, from unpaid stages to outdated hierarchies, Eli Sussman uses eye-catching memes to garner attention.
Failure is a Learning Opportunity: Eli Sussman’s fast-casual Samesa restaurant didn’t scale as planned, but its closure made him a better owner and leader, paving the way for new ventures like Alo’s.
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ABOUT ELI SUSSMAN —
Eli Sussman is a chef, restaurateur, and digital creator. Sussman is the executive chef and partner of Gertrude’s in Brooklyn which received a glowing New Yorker review and was included in the New York Times Top 8 dishes of 2023. He was a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Award, was awarded a Zagat 30 under 30, is a chef ambassador for No Kid Hungry, and is the author of four cookbooks. He has appeared multiple times on the Today Show and Food Network, and has contributed to Food & Wine, Saveur and Bon Appétit.
ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —
Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.
Published by Entrepreneur Media – https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media – https://betheshow.media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuF3pwLzVj4
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